Method of making a water-cooled electrode holder

Abstract

A water-cooled electrode holder for use in electric furnaces, comprising a base and a bowl secured to the base for encompassing and supporting a vertical cylindrical electrode, is formed by rolling from a thick copper sheet which has first been drilled with a plurality of intersecting deep holes. The plate is drilled when flat and then bent to horseshoe configuration, the holes being filld with sand to keep their shape during bending. Plugs are then inserted to block the intersections of certain of the holes but to leave a single circuitous passageway through the bowl, for the passage of cooling water.

We claim: 
     
       1. A method of making an electrode holder of the type comprising a U-shaped slab of metal with a circuitous passageway therethrough for the flow of cooling water, comprising blind drilling a plurality of straight holes at right angles to each other through two adjacent edges of a flat slab of metal with a plurality of said holes intersecting each other, bending said flat slab to U-shape in a direction such that the holes extending in one direction are bent to U-shape but the holes at right angles thereto remain straight and to an extent such that the legs of the U-shaped slab remain flat so that portions of the holes bent in a U-shape form straight passages, plugging the ends of said straight passages, and plugging certain of said holes that remain straight intermediate their length between certain adjacent U-shaped holes, in such a pattern as to leave a single circuitous passageway through the slab having an inlet end and an outlet end opening edgewise through the slab. 
     
     
       2. A method as claimed in claim 1, and inserting plugs in certain of said holes intermediate the length of the holes, by mounting the plugs on a relatively slender central stem, said stem being centrally located on the plugs, inserting the stem-mounted plugs in certain of said holes intermediate the length of the holes and resting a stem end against the bottom of the hole to be plugged thereby properly positioning the plug in the hole between two holes that are at right angles to the hole in which the stem is disposed. 
     
     
       3. A method as claimed in claim 2, and positioning certain others of said plugs that close the ends of said straight passages, on opposite sides of a plug on a said stem thereby to hold the stemmed plug in position in its associated said hole. 
     
     
       4. A method as claimed in claim 1, in which the slab is elongated and is bent in a direction such that said holes that remain straight are parallel to the shorter edges of the slab.